"People do not want this regime": Iranian activist Masih Alinejad urges global support amid protests

Washington, DC [US], January 9 : Prominent Iranian activist and journalist Masih Alinejad has urged the international community to support ongoing protests in Iran, saying the demands of the Iranian people are unequivocal as demonstrations enter their twelfth day.

In a post on social media platform X, Alinejad referred to the continuing protests and her appearance on Fox News, stating, "On the Fox News network @FoxNews and on the twelfth day of the Iranian people's protests: The message of the Iranian people is clear. The people do not want this regime and will never allow the reformists to take power."

https://x.com/AlinejadMasih/status/2009442886648021458?s=20

Highlighting measures taken by Iranian authorities during the unrest, she said, "The regime cuts off the internet as usual; Elon Musk, help in this sensitive situation for the Iranian people to gain access to the internet."

Expanding her appeal beyond internet access, Alinejad also called for broader international support, saying, "Trump and the international community, help the Iranian people reach a secular democracy, something they deserve, from dictatorship."

Her remarks come as protests have spread across multiple Iranian cities amid a deepening economic crisis, with demonstrations intensifying even as authorities issue stern warnings against dissent, according to Al Jazeera.

In the capital Tehran, protesters set fires on the streets, while large crowds marched in cities including Borujerd, Arsanjan and Gilan-e Gharb. Footage from the southern city of Shiraz showed security forces driving over a protest barricade carrying the message "We revolt due to hunger."

The demonstrations, now in their second week, followed strong remarks by Iran's Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, who warned of consequences for those involved in unrest. Referring to what he described as external influence, he said, "If anyone comes into the streets for riots or to create insecurity, or supports them, then no excuse remains for them. The matter has become very clear and transparent. They are now operating in line with the enemies of the Islamic Republic of Iran."

According to Al Jazeera, Mohseni-Ejei's comments were linked to recent remarks by US President Donald Trump, who last week warned Tehran that if it "violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue," adding that the US was "locked and loaded and ready to go."

That warning followed a 12-day conflict seven months ago in which Israeli and US forces bombed Iranian nuclear sites. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also voiced support for the protesters, telling ministers, "It is quite possible that we are at a moment when the Iranian people are taking their fate into their own hands."

Following the judiciary's warning, Iran's military leadership issued its own response. Speaking to students at a military academy, Major-General Amir Hatami warned of preemptive action over what he described as hostile rhetoric, saying Iran would "cut off the hand of any aggressor."

He added, "I can say with confidence that today the readiness of Iran's armed forces is far greater than before the war. If the enemy commits an error, it will face a more decisive response."

As protests continued, Iran was hit by a nationwide internet blackout, further restricting communication across the country. Online monitoring group NetBlocks said the disruption was detected nationwide as demonstrations continued in multiple cities.

In a post on social media on Thursday, NetBlocks said the apparent shutdown followed "a series of escalating digital censorship measures targeting protests across the country and hinders the public's right to communicate at a critical moment".

Al Jazeera reported that the nationwide protests were triggered late last month when shopkeepers in Tehran's Grand Bazaar shut their businesses to protest the collapse of Iran's rial, amid worsening economic conditions driven by mismanagement and Western sanctions.

While Iranian authorities have not released official casualty figures, rights activists say at least 36 people have been killed and more than 2,000 arrested, figures Al Jazeera said it has been unable to independently verify.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei later vowed not to "yield to the enemy," comments that gained added significance following a recent US military operation that abducted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, a close ally of Tehran, according to Al Jazeera.

In an effort to ease public anger, Iran's government on Wednesday announced monthly assistance of about USD 7 to offset rising prices of basic food items such as rice, meat and pasta, a move that has been widely criticised as inadequate.

"More than a week of protests in Iran reflects not only worsening economic conditions, but longstanding anger at government repression and regime policies that have led to Iran's global isolation," the New York-based Soufan Center think tank said.

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